Stossel on FIRE

John Stossel writes an interesting column about the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), an organization dedicated to protecting freedom of speech in academia. Most notably, Stossel relays perhaps the best one-line refutation of the leftist "anti-harassment" and "anti-bullying" excuse for attacking freedom of speech. Stossel quotes FIRE founder Harvey Silverglate:

Silverglate was once hired by faculty members at the University of Wisconsin who objected to a speech code intended to protect minorities, women and gays from offensive expression.

"I didn't actually win that battle. You know who won it? A gay student got up and said, 'If you're looking to have a speech code to protect me, don't do it, because I actually like knowing who hates me. It's useful. It tells me when I should watch my back.'" [bold added]

Not only does speech not pick our pockets or break our legs, forcibly restricting it can, in many ways, make us less able to protect ourselves from actual harm.

-- CAV

--- In Other News ---

I noted a highly negative review of the Kindle Fire here recently, but have since seen several mixed-positive reviews, such as one by Farhad Manjoo, and a few highlighted by Glenn Reynolds.

Townhall's Kate Hicks notes a tactical similarity between a recent proposal to force airlines to allow all passengers one "free" bag at check-in and the Durbin Amendment, which caps debit card interchange fees.

... Sen. Dick Durbin, President Obama, and a host of others on the left villified banks -- notably Bank of America -- for issuing a monthly debit card fee. Of course, they failed to mention that the fee was a direct result of new government regulations that made debit transactions more expensive for banks -- in favor of the retail lobby. [link removed]

I beg to differ with Hicks that the Democrats have a "minimal understanding of the economy." Some of them know exactly what they are doing.

And speaking of holiday travel, the Van Horn family will be in the air and on the road quite a bit over the next ten days. I won't blog tomorrow, and posting may be irregular until we get home. Happy Thanksgiving!